State Sen. Paula Sandoval has picked up a key labor endorsement for her Denver city council race at a time when she also is pushing a key union issue at the state Legislature.

The United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 7 has endorsed Sandoval in the race to fill the vacancy in the northwest Denver council seat.

Sandoval also has filed paperwork with Senate Majority Leader John Morse, a Democrat of El Paso, to file a late bill in the legislative session dealing with labor-backed legislation Gov. Bill Ritter vetoed last year. That legislation would have made it easier for grocery workers locked out of their job sites to receive state unemployment benefits.

Morse said the Senate leadership had not yet decided whether to allow Sandoval’s bill to go forward.

“We’ve got enough on our plate at this point,” Morse said.

The council race to represent northwest Denver has received a crowded field of 11 candidates. Labor is watching that race closely because former Councilman Rick Garcia, who held the council seat, was considered an ally of labor on a city council with sharp divisions on labor and business issues.

Garcia vacated the council seat to become a regional director with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Ritter vetoed the lock out bill in 2009 because there were contracts being negotiated. Now that there aren't it seems like a timely and great move by the Senator. Our working men and women deserve unemployment benefits if they are locked out of their job thru no fault of their own. Governor Ownes upset this employer/employee balance. We need to bring the balance back. Thank you Senator Sandoval!

AllAboutTransparency

Doesn't it seem odd that she gets an endorsement from this labor group just about the same time that she's introducing a bill to help the labor organization? I'm pro-labor for sure, but this kinda smells like a backroom deal to me.

Fairness or Deception

II agree with AllAboutTransparency about the backroom deals. The new leadership didn’t allow for other candidates to approach them for possible endorsement and automatically endorse Sen. Paula Sandoval. I am also pro union but this wrong and do not fully represent the whole entire union. This smells like the Duran leadership all over again.

lynea

There was no backroom deal this is a 60 day special election. Paula interviewed with UFCW like all candidates are required to do and they voted to endorse her. Several weeks ago Senator Sandoval along with Senator Tochtrop requested a late bill because UFCW and the grorcery stores had finished their last contract http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_14465774 Paula has voted with the workers of UFCW over the years including voting for the lock out bill last year.

There are so many lawyers running in the Council District. I wonder if anyone will file an ethics complaint? There seems to have been political hijinks at play here whether you agree with unions or not. The union appears to have endorsed Sandoval without interviewing any of the other candidates on their position. They endorsed before some of the petitions were even turned in.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.